“He’s here,” she said. “But I don’t want to talk about him. How’s it going there?”

“Fine. I mean, I think. Dauphine is amazing. And we’ve totally bonded.”

“But?”

“How do you know there’s a but?”

She let out a short breath. “Listen, you’d tell me the truth if anything had gone on between you and Mr. Pascale, right?”

My belly flipped over. “Um,” I managed through a throat now filled with rocks. “What do you mean?”

“Josie, don’t make me say it.”

“But that’s the thing. I mean, I think you’re asking if anything sexual has happened, to which I can categorically tell you no. No way.”

She let out an exhale. “Thank God.”

Her reaction of relief should have made me feel better, but somehow, I felt worse. And what had happened to even have her ask that question. She seemed to be waiting for more from me, so I decided to share my thoughts. “But I think he has a problem with me for some reason. He’s nice and chatty one minute, and then snapping at me the next. Basically, I love Dauphine, but I’m not having the best time with him, if that makes sense. But I mean, he’s not my job. She is.”

“Right.”

I licked my lips. “Why did you ask that?”

“I haven’t checked my email in a few days, and I dunno, maybe I missed it when I did check, but he sent me an email.”

My forehead creased up, and I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling brewing inside me. “And,” I pressed when she paused.

“And he asked me if I could find a replacement for you.”

My stomach plummeted, and ice swept over my skin. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Like I said, it was a while ago, and I overlooked it. I just thought I had everything with the business squared away and put an out of office note on my email, and we’ve been nonstop here, and I feel awful that I didn’t see it and respond to it. I should have seen it and called him. But of course, I wanted to check in with you first and hear your side.”

My heart was drumming in my throat, the sick feeling now spreading through me. “My side? There’s no side. I feel like—”

I felt betrayed by him, is what I felt. “How long ago was the email?” I asked instead and waited as she looked it up.

She named a date. Almost two weeks ago. I guessed that should make me feel a little better.

“And he hasn’t sent you another one, calling off that request?” I clarified. “Even though you didn’t respond?”

“Maybe he thought I was still working on it. What happened two weeks ago?”